Movie written and directed by Tampa Bay native to hit select theaters this week

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — A new movie filmed in Tampa Bay will be hitting select theaters and several streaming platforms on Friday.

The film is named “The Throwback” and it was written and directed by USF and Tampa Catholic High School Graduate Mario Garcia.

Garcia met with News Channel 8’s Brianda Villegas on Friday at his former high school to talk about the new movie.

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“It’s still surreal to me,” he said. “I was scribbling movie ideas in these classrooms even way back then.”

“The Throwback” stars actors Justina Machado, Will Sasso, Bobby Lee and several others.

“Justina, we loved from the start. Like, I saw her in ‘One Day At A Time’ and she was funny and she could do the heartfelt parts,” Garcia said. “Will Sasso is just hilarious. He always plays, like the goofy best friend, but in this I really think he had an opportunity to really show his range.”

The movie is about a couple that hits a mid-life rut and when the wife experiences a traumatic event at work, she loses her memory and believes she is 19 years old.

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“Her life hasn’t gone, career-wise, what she imagined it would be like at 19,” Garcia explained.

The film took about two years to make, and Garcia said although he has been feeling anxious about the release, he hopes it resonates with a diverse audience of all ages reminding them of the important things in life.

“The other thing is to appreciate what we have and to really believe whatever we have is for a reason. So you need to be grateful for it and appreciate it.”

You can watch “The Throwback” in select theaters, including CinéBistro Hyde Park and Burns Court in Sarasota, starting this Friday.

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